Device and method for fabricating display panel having ink-jet printing applied thereto

ABSTRACT

Device and method for fabricating a display panel having ink-jet printing applied thereto, the device including a stage for supporting a substrate, a base having one or more than one rail for transporting the stage, and one or more than one ink-jet head rotatable by an angel for spraying a pattern forming solution to the substrate, thereby reducing a fabrication cost and simplifying a fabrication process.

This application claims the benefit of the Korean Application No.P2002-18968 filed on Apr. 8, 2002, which is hereby incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to device and method for fabricating adisplay panel, more particularly, to device and method for fabricating adisplay panel having ink-jet printing applied thereto for reducing aproduction cost and simplifying a fabrication process of a panel.

2. Background of the Related Art

In general, cathode-ray tubes (CRT) have been used mostly as displays.However, following digitization of information, a new concept ofdisplays is required. For an example, compact displays with low powerconsumption are required in an environment requiring mobility, such ascars, or airplanes, or portable computers, and large sized displays withhigh luminance, and width angle of view are required in an environmentin which delivery of information to the mass of people is required.

Recently, researches and development for flat panel displays (FPD) arein progress actively as displays suitable for a variety of environmentsas explained above. As the flat panel displays, there are liquid crystaldisplay (LCD), plasma display panels (PDP), field emitter displays(FED), and electroluminescent displays (ELD).

However, for putting the displays into practical use, it is requiredthat the fabrication processes of the displays are simplified fordropping a fabrication cost. Particularly, cost reduction of the panelpattern fabrication process which requires expensive equipment andcomplicate fabrication steps is very keen.

In a related art patterning, photolithography and screen printing areused mostly. Though thin and even pattern is available, thephotolithography has a high material cost, and complicated fabricationprocess, as many fabrication steps, such as deposition, masking,etching, and the like, are required. Though the fabrication process issimple, and fabrication equipment is not expensive compared to thephotolithography, the thin and even pattern is available from the screenprint.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to device and method forfabricating a display panel having ink-jet printing applied thereto thatsubstantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitationsand disadvantages of the related art.

An object of the present invention is to provide device and method forfabricating a display panel having ink-jet printing applied thereto,which can reduce fabrication cost and simplify process steps.

Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth inthe description which follows, and in part will be apparent from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Theobjectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized andattained by the structure particularly pointed out in the writtendescription and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purposeof the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the devicefor fabricating a display panel having ink-jet printing applied theretoincludes a stage for supporting a substrate, a base having one or morethan one rail for transporting the stage, and one or more than oneink-jet head rotatable by an angel for spraying a pattern formingsolution to the substrate.

The angle of rotation of the ink-jet head are controlled by headcontrolling means according to intervals of patterns intended to form.

The head control means includes head holders each for holding theink-jet heads, and two support plates for supporting the head holders.

The head control means includes head holders each for holding theink-jet heads, and gears each connected to a center shaft of one of thehead holders and engaged with each other for rotating the head holders.

The device for fabricating a display panel having ink-jet printingapplied thereto further includes cleaning means for cleaning and cappingthe ink-jet heads, a plurality of CCD cameras and monitors formonitoring positions of the substrate and the ink-jet heads and sprayingaction (state) of the ink-jet heads, and a head support having rails fortransporting the ink-jet heads.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a devicefor fabricating a display panel having ink-jet printing applied theretoincluding a stage for supporting a substrate, a base having one or morethan one rail for transporting the stage, and ink-jet heads each havinga plurality of nozzles for spraying a pattern forming solution to thesubstrate, head controlling means for turning the ink-jet heads by apreset angle according to intervals of patterns intended to form,cleaning means for cleaning the ink-jet heads, and one or more than onecamera for monitoring the substrate and the nozzles.

The stage includes an upper plate, a lower plate, and rails between theupper and lower plate running perpendicular to rails on the base.

The head controlling means turns the ink-jet heads by a preset anglewith reference to a direction perpendicular to a length direction of thepatterns intended to form, and the head controlling means turns theink-jet heads the greater as the intervals between the patterns thesmaller.

The head controlling means includes head holders for holding the ink-jetheads, two support plates for supporting the head holders.

The head control means includes head holders each for holding theink-jet heads, and gears each connected to a center shaft of one of thehead holders and engaged with each other for rotating the head holders.

The ink-jet head is movable in up/down directions.

The cleaning means is movable along the rails on the base for cappingthe nozzles when the ink-jet heads are not in use.

In further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a methodfor fabricating a display panel having an ink-jet printing appliedthereto, including the steps of setting ink-jet heads with the ink-jetheads turned by a preset angle with reference to a directionperpendicular to a length direction of the patterns according tointervals of patterns intended to form, monitoring positions of thenozzles of the ink-jet heads, aligning a substrate on a stage, andspraying a pattern forming solution onto the substrate through nozzlesin the ink-jet heads while moving the substrate.

The setting step includes the step of setting a number of the ink-jetheads according to a number of the patterns intended to form, and thesetting step includes the step of setting the angle the greater as theintervals between the patterns intended to form are the smaller.

The step of monitoring includes the step of CCD cameras monitoringpositions of a first nozzle and a last nozzle of each of the ink-jetheads.

The method for fabricating a display panel having an ink-jet printingapplied thereto further includes the step of cleaning the nozzles afterthe step of setting, the step of patterning a dummy for testing nozzlesbefore the step of spraying, and the step of heat treatment forhardening the pattern forming solution after the step of spraying.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and areintended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention andtogether with the description serve to explain the principles of theinvention:

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of a device for fabricating a displaypanel having ink-jet printing applied thereto in accordance with apreferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates head control means in a device for fabricating adisplay panel having ink-jet printing applied thereto in accordance witha first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates head control means in a device for fabricating adisplay panel having ink-jet printing applied thereto in accordance witha second preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow chart showing the step of a method forfabricating a display panel having ink-jet printing applied thereto inaccordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates an arrangement of ink-jet heads in a device forfabricating a display panel having ink-jet printing applied thereto inaccordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates an arrangement of ink-jet heads in a device forfabricating a display panel having ink-jet printing applied thereto inaccordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a step for monitoring a position of an ink-jet headof the present invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates a step for monitoring a position of a substrate ofthe present invention;

FIG. 9 illustrates a step for pattering a dummy of the presentinvention;

FIG. 10 illustrates a step for monitoring a spray state of a nozzle inaccordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 11 illustrates a perspective view of a device for fabricating adisplay panel having an ink-jet printing applied thereto in accordancewith a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of a device for fabricating adisplay panel having ink-jet printing applied thereto in accordance witha preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Referring to FIG. 1, the device for fabricating a display panel havingink-jet printing applied thereto includes a stage 2 for supporting asubstrate 3, a base 1 having one or more than one rail 4 a fortransporting the stage 2, one or more than one ink-jet heads 7 eachrotatable and movable in up/down direction and having a plurality ofnozzles for spraying solution for forming a pattern on the substrate 3,head control means 200 for controlling a rotation angle of the ink-jethead 7 according to an interval of patterns intended to form, andcleaning means 6 for wiping and capping the nozzles.

The substrate 3 may be a plastic substrate having a coat of ITO (IndiumTin Oxide), and the solution of forming the pattern may be one ofsolutions for forming patterns of a display panel, such as a colorfilter layer, an alignment film, fluorescent material, electrodes,dielectric layer, and the like.

The stage 2 includes an upper plate 2 a, and a lower plate 2 b, andrails 4 b running perpendicular to rails 4 a on the base 1 between theupper and lower plates 2 a and 2 b. Since the rails 4 a and 4 b arerunning in perpendicular to each other, the upper plate 2 a can be movedin left/right directions one the rails 4 a and 4 b. Therefore, thesubstrate 3 and the ink-jet heads 7 can be aligned, accurately.

The ink-jet head 7 is movable along a rail 4 c attached to a headsupport 5 during patterning, as well as in up/down directions foradjusting a gap between the ink-jet head 7 and the substrate 3 accordingto the up/down movement of the head support 5. 1˜100 ink-jet heads maybe fitted according to the pattern the user intends to form, and thepattern can be formed by one flow of process.

FIG. 2 illustrates head control means in a device for fabricating adisplay panel having ink-jet printing applied thereto in accordance witha first preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3illustrates head control means in a device for fabricating a displaypanel having ink-jet printing applied thereto in accordance with asecond preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the first embodiment head control means 200includes head holders 21 each for holding an ink-jet head 7, and twosupport plates 22 each connected to a shaft 23 of the head holder 21 forsupporting the head holder 21. When the two support plates 22 move inopposite directions, the ink-jet heads 7 turn at an angle with referenceto a direction perpendicular to a length direction of the patternintended to form.

Also, referring to FIG. 3, the second embodiment head control means 200includes head holders 31 each for holding an ink-jet head 7, gears 34engaged with each other each connected to a central shaft 33 of the headholder 31 for turning the head holders 31, and a support plate 32between the head holders 31 and the gears 34.

The first, or second embodiment head control means 200 can turn theink-jet heads 7 at the same angle.

Also, referring to FIGS. 7, 8, and 9, a device for fabricating a displaypanel having an ink-jet printing applied thereto of the presentinvention may further includes CCD cameras 71 a, and 71 b and monitors72 a and 72 b for monitoring positions of the nozzles at the ink-jetheads 7, CCD cameras 81 a, and 81 b and monitors 82 a, and 82 b formonitoring a position of the substrate 3, and a CCD camera 91 c andmonitor (not shown) for monitoring a spray state the nozzles of theink-jet head 7 spray a pattern solution.

A method for fabricating a pattern of a display panel by using theforegoing device for fabricating a display panel having an ink-jetprinting applied thereto will be explained. FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart showing the step of a method for fabricating a pattern of adisplay panel having ink-jet printing applied thereto in accordance witha preferred embodiment of the present invention.

At first, a plurality of ink-jet heads 7 are set, and a solution forforming a pattern is loaded on ink-jet heads 7 from a tube (not shown)for storing the solution (S1). 1˜100 ink-jet heads 7 may be fittedaccording to a number of patterns 51 to be formed. For an example, if itis intended to form 320 patterns 51 by using ink-jet heads 7 each having32 nozzles by one pass of flow, 10 ink-jet heads 7 are required.

Referring to FIG. 5, the ink-jet heads 7 are turned by a required angleθ according to intervals of the patterns 51 intended to form, such thatthe ink-jet heads 7 are arranged oblique with reference to a direction Vperpendicular to a length direction of the patterns 51. The ink-jetheads 7 are arranged oblique for bringing the nozzles 52 to positions ofthe patterns 51, when intervals ‘A’ of the nozzles 52 are greater thanintervals ‘B’ of the patterns 51.

The oblique angle θ of the ink-jet heads 7 with reference to thedirection ‘V’ perpendicular to a length direction of the patterns 51intended to form is varied with the intervals ‘B’ of the patterns, i.e.,a resolution of the display.

For an example, referring to FIG. 6, a color filter layer of a PDP, orLCD has R, G, B patterns 61 a, 61 b, 61 c repeatedly arranged at fixedintervals. In a case of 40″ display with a VGA (Video Graphics Array)class resolution, the intervals ‘Y’ between the same color patterns areapprox. 1.2 μm. Therefore, as intervals ‘X’ of the nozzles 62 of theink-jet heads 67 a, 67 b, 67 c for spraying three kinds of solutions forforming the R, G, B patterns 61 a, 61 b, 61 c are approx. 1.4 μm, forbringing the nozzles 62 to relevant positions of the patterns, it isrequired that the ink-jet heads 67 a, 67 b, 67 c are arranged oblique byapprox. 32° with reference to a direction perpendicular to a lengthdirection of the R, G, B patterns 61 a, 61 b, 61 c.

In a case of a display with a WXGA class resolution of a resolutionhigher than the display with a VGA class resolution, for bringing thenozzles 62 to relevant positions of the patterns, it is required thatthe ink-jet heads 67 a, 67 b, 67 c are arranged oblique by approx. 62°with reference to a direction perpendicular to a length direction of theR, G, B patterns 61 a, 61 b, 61 c. This is because the intervals of R,G, B patterns of the WXGA class are smaller than the intervals of the R,G, B patterns of the VGA class. That is, the higher the resolution of adisplay, the greater the oblique angle of the ink-jet heads 67 a, 67 b,and 67 c.

Then, nozzles of the ink-jet heads 7 are cleaned S2, by bringing thecleaning means 6 under the ink-jet heads 7 along the rail, and wipingnozzle surfaces, for removing foreign matters stuck to the nozzles andimproving meniscus of the nozzles 52.

In the cleaning, if the cleaning means 6 does not move, and, instead,the ink-jet heads 7 move, defective spraying of the ink-jet heads 7 maybe caused by washing of the pattern forming solution in the ink-jetheads 7. Therefore, it is preferably that the cleaning means 6 isbrought under the ink-jet head 7.

Then, referring to FIG. 7, when the cleaning process is finished,position accuracy of the nozzles 52 of the ink-jet heads 7 are monitoredby using CCD cameras 71 a and 71 b and monitors 72 a and 72 b (S3). Ifthe positions of the nozzles 52 are not accurate, the nozzles 52 arere-arranged. Since the CCD camera 71 a and 71 b are movable along therails 4 a and 4 b in left/right directions, the nozzles 52 can bemonitored in succession. In order to reduce a fabrication time period,the CCD cameras 71 a and 71 b may monitor positions of a first and lastnozzles of each of the ink-jet heads 7. Moreover, since the ink-jetheads 7 are movable in up/down directions, a distance between thenozzles 52 and the substrate 3 may be adjusted.

Then, referring to FIG. 8, after arranging positions of the nozzles 52accurately, the substrate 3 is placed on an upper plate 2 a, an X-Ystage (S4), the substrate 3 is brought to a set position on the upperplate 2 a (S5). In this instance, positions of marks 83 on the substrate3 of being at the set positions on the upper plate 2 a are verified byusing the CCD cameras 81 a and 81 b and the monitors 82 a and 82 b.

Then, referring to FIG. 9, for testing whole nozzles 52 of the ink-jetheads 7, dummy pattern is formed, because most of abnormal signs occur,not while the nozzles 52 spray the pattern forming solution, but whenthe nozzles 52 start to spray the pattern forming solution. The foreignmatters at the entrance of the nozzles 32 may be removed by the dummypatterning.

Then, the nozzles 52 spray pattern forming solution onto the substrate 3while the substrate 3 is moved along the rail 4 a by the stage 2 (S6).In this instance, it is required that a viscosity of the pattern formingsolution is adjusted taking step coverage of the patterns intended toform into account. That is, when it is intended to form a pattern havinga good step coverage, the viscosity of the pattern forming solution isincreased, and vice versa. Thus, the device for fabricating a displaypanel having an ink-jet printing applied thereto of the presentinvention can improve a pattern step coverage and can form uniformpatterns.

Referring to FIG. 10, a state in which the nozzles 52 spray the patternforming solution is monitored in real time by using the CCD camera 94.The CCD camera 94 is also movable in left/right directions along therail 4 c, and 4 f.

Referring to FIG. 11, after formation of the patter 51 is finished, thesubstrate 3 is inspected (S7). Then, the process proceeds to the nextprocess, i.e., if it is assumed that it is a process for forming the R,G, B filter, for carrying out heat treatment for hardening the patternforming solution sprayed onto the substrate 3, the substrate 3 are movedto a baking oven along a rail in line (S8).

As has been explained, the device and method for fabricating a displaypanel having ink-jet printing applied thereto of the present inventionhave the following advantages.

By turning the ink-jet heads by an angle according to intervals ofpatterns, display panels with different resolutions can be fabricated.Therefore, a fabrication cost can be saved.

The once through formation of the pattern by spraying the patternforming solution, a fabrication time period can be reduced, andfabrication process can be simplified.

The spray of solution for forming a pattern permits to improve stepcoverage, to form uniform patterns.

The present invention is applicable, not only to the color filterprocess of a display panel, but to all processes, such as fluorescentmaterial coating, formation of electrode and spacer, and the like.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made in the device and method forfabricating a display panel having ink-jet printing applied thereto ofthe present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of theinvention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover themodifications and variations of this invention provided they come withinthe scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

1-19. (canceled)
 20. A method for fabricating a display panel having anink-jet printing applied thereto, comprising the steps of: settingink-jet heads with the ink-jet heads turned by a preset angle withreference to a direction perpendicular to a length direction of thepatterns according to intervals of patterns intended to form; monitoringpositions of the nozzles of the ink-jet heads; aligning a substrate on astage; and spraying a pattern forming solution onto the substratethrough nozzles in the ink-jet heads while moving the substrate.
 21. Amethod as claimed in claim 20, wherein the setting step includes thestep of setting a number of the ink-jet heads according to a number ofthe patterns intended to form.
 22. A method as claimed in claim 20,wherein the setting step includes the step of setting the angle thegreater as the intervals between the patterns intended to form are thesmaller.
 23. A method as claimed in claim 20, further comprising thestep of cleaning the nozzles after the step of setting.
 24. A method asclaimed in claim 20, wherein the step of monitoring includes the step ofmonitoring positions of a first nozzle and a last nozzle of each of theink-jet heads.
 25. A method as claimed in claim 20, further comprisingthe step of patterning a dummy for testing nozzles before the step ofspraying.
 26. A method as claimed in claim 20, further comprising thestep of heat treatment for hardening the pattern forming solution afterthe step of spraying.